Taking Back the Crown

by JCMorrigan

Mozenrath. Archibald Snatcher. Roman Torchwick. Mad Madam Mim. Yzma. The Huntsman. Wuya. Ayam Aghoul. Their mission: take over the multiverse, or look fabulous trying. Rated M for swearing, steamy implications and VERY bloody battles. Contains slash and het shipping.

78. Black Out the Sky

A/N: Something bad happens in this chapter. If you think you may be affected, quickly scroll to the end author's note (without looking at the text of the chapter) to see what the potentially triggering content is.

...

The entire WHAM ARMY stood at the nadir of Shinshu Field's slopes, gathered around the Guardian Sapling. The eight founders were the last to reappear.

"WE DID IT!" Yzma cried. "Their spiky-headed key brat is wreaking havoc AS WE SPEAK!"

"I'll take a round of applause now," Mozenrath added.

A round of applause was what he got, plus some cheering thrown in for good measure – and a single kiss blown from Hans, who punctuated the moment with a wink.

"I don't see why he's blowing kisses at YOU," Yzma huffed. "I'M the one who shot the arrow."

"HE IS MY BOYFRIEND," Mozenrath reminded her sternly. "Now…" He addressed the rest of the group. "Xayide, Irmaplotz, Wuya, Aghoul, and Mim. The five of you line up and work on destroying this tree."

"While you'll be doing what?" Iramplotz asked.

"Broadcasting," Mozenrath informed her. "The whole scheme falls apart if Amaterasu doesn't know what we're doing. I'm going to be the one to deliver the message. And if she decides to kill the messenger, I'll be ready to beat her to the punch." He clenched his right fist.

"We all shall," Snatcher amended. "After all, it will take the entirety of us to subdue her."

"So it will," Mozenrath agreed. "I hope you're all ready for a fight."

"And if we're not ready for a fight?" Demyx asked.

Mozenrath fixed a glare upon him. "I might be persuaded to let you sit out," he replied, "but since it's you…you're going to fight anyway."

"Awwhh…"

Neo bounced up and down, clapping rapidly.

"Now," Mozenrath declared, "let's move on to the final act."

...

Amaterasu's reflector disc hurtled through the air, directly toward Ninetails Sora's jaws. Ninetails Sora's mouth clamped down over it, and he shook it violently before discarding it like a frisbee. Amaterasu leapt back, and divine beads shot forth from a strand she carried, acting like bullets. Oathkeeper and Oblivion swatted every bead aside. Amaterasu quickly retrieved her reflector, giving it another spin; Oblivion and Oathkeeper crossed in front of Ninetails Sora, blocking the weapon.

"Stop fighting!" Ruby cried. "Maybe we can talk to him! That's still Sora in there! I know it!"

The remaining seven Keyblades Ninetails Sora bore rose into the air, spinning around each other to create a cannon shape with a ball of burning energy at its center.

"SORA, PLEASE!" Ruby screamed. "WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS! STOP FIGHTING!"

"RUBY, NO!" Stork shrieked.

The cannon aimed directly at Ruby. The energy at its center burst forth like a shot.

Ruby realized she was defenseless a moment too late.

Stork, however, was right on time, slamming into her and pushing her out of the line of fire. Moreover, a fully armored Kazuichi zipped right into the blast zone, taking the brunt of the shot. When it subsided, he found his armor singed somewhat off-color but intact.

"He won't listen to us!" Katara cried. "Something's possessing him!"

"No duh!" Issun cried from where he sat on Amaterasu's back, Amaterasu still clashing weapons with Ninetails Sora. "Those were the Fox Rods that got shot into him! That's bad news! The Tube Foxes are possessing him and making him all evil!"

"There must be a way to stop them," Jasmine asserted.

Three Wishes went spinning at her; she nimbly leapt over the weapon to avoid being struck. It came back around like a well-crafted boomerang; Jasmine was only barely fast enough this time, and she felt a nick on her stomach begin to leak droplets of blood.

"SORA!" Papyrus cried. "I DEMAND YOU CUT THAT OUT THIS INSTANT! WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS, AND – "

Pumpkinhead slashed out at Papyrus, forcing him to put up walls of bone to shield himself. "WELL, IT WAS WORTH A SHOT," he sighed.

"Okay," Ruby growled, unfolding Crescent Rose, "now I'm actually mad." She rushed at Ninetails Sora, lifting her weapon high in an attempt to knock the Keyblades away.

Divine Rose countered, striking Ruby over and over from all angles and forcing her back down. The scythe slammed down in front of the blade, and Ruby found herself locked in a contest with it, Crescent Rose and Divine Rose pushing hard at each other to see who would give in first.

Divewing pointed directly up into the air; Stork's ears picked up the crack of thunder just in time for him to dodge the immense lightning bolt that struck where he had been standing. Once the first bolt had been fired, he knew there were more to come. He dashed this way and that as more lightning rained down on the spots he had been.

Kazuichi's jets propelled him up into the air, where he turned his blasters down upon Ninetails Sora. Ferris Gear soared up to meet him; before Kazuichi could readjust his weaponry, the rogue Keyblade had cast a Gravity spell on him that sent him rocketing back down to slam against the ground, rendered unable to move for a solid minute.

Katara was surrounded by a ring of flame summoned by Brightcrest. She attacked it with her water, causing the flames to recede momentarily before springing back up again and tightening up closer.

Rapunzel's feet were frozen to the ground by a Blizzard spell; as she struggled to break free, Unbound turned upon her, radiating frost. An icicle formed at its tip, ready to shoot at Rapunzel's heart.

Amaterasu broke away from her close combat with Ninetails Sora to whip out the Celestial Brush, redirecting the flames away from Katara and using them to melt the ice holding Rapunzel down. Rapunzel ducked and rolled just in time for the ice from Unbound to shoot at where she had been.

Barking furiously, Amaterasu jumped before each and every Keyblade, blocking Divine Rose, Pumpkinhead, and Three Wishes.

"RUN, YOU IDIOTS!" Issun cried. "SHE'S HOLDING THE BLADES OFF SO YOU CAN GET AWAY!"

"But we can't just leave him!" Ruby cried.

"OH, YES WE CAN!" Stork yelled as he grabbed her wrist to drag her off the field.

Katara took hold of Rapunzel's hand to lead her away. Papyrus and Jasmine each took hold of one of Kazuichi's arms, pulling him along behind them.

"All right, Ammy!" Issun cried. "Now blast him!"

Jasmine had heard those words. "NO!" she yelled, leaving Papyrus to get Kazuichi away. "Don't hurt him!"

Amaterasu drew a lightning bolt that struck Ninetails Sora in the back; he was jolted, but not severely hurt. So he was tough, Amaterasu realized. That bolt would have had devastating results on your average human being.

Jasmine's words reached her then, and she knew she had to come up with another strategy in order to defeat this menace. In fact, she realized, she had just the plan. If what she knew about Keybearers' hearts was still relevant, a way would open itself.

She drew the symbol to summon flame; it rose as a wall around Ninetails Sora, temporarily fencing him in. She then burst after the Cinnamons, taking the lead of their group and barking with emphasis: follow me, now!

"Hey, Ammy!" Issun cried as he held onto her fur for dear life. "Where ya goin'? The big bad demon is back THAT way!"

Amaterasu simply hoped the others would trust her.

They followed her off the coast, all the way down the long road that brought them through Taka Pass and Agata Forest, and finally to where the Gummi ship was parked. Amaterasu sat down proudly before the ship.

"You want us to give up and go home?" Stork questioned. "Normally, I would love that plan, but that is SORA back there."

Amaterasu barked; she knew. She was just waiting to unveil the second phase of her plan. She brought forth from her inventory what looked like a small hammer.

"Hey, that's the Lucky Mallet!" Issun realized. "What're you bringin' out a thing like that for?"

"What's the Lucky Mallet?" Katara asked.

"You use that thing to change size!" Issun explained. "You can get really big – "

Amaterasu shook her head.

"Or really small!"

A bark of approval.

"You want 'em to get in the ship and get small?" Issun asked. "That doesn't make any sense! Not unless you want them to get eaten and try and fight that thing from the inside or – "

Another bark of approval.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Issun hopped up and down agitatedly.

Amaterasu simply nodded.

There was a beat of silence from the Cinnamons before Kazuichi said, "You're telling us to get vored by a giant fox."

Two barks this time.

"We have to trust her," Rapunzel insisted. "All this time, she's been leading us down the right path. Helping us not only save the world, but our friendships with each other. If she thinks going inside Sora will be the right way to fix things, then that's what we have to do!"

"You're right," Jasmine said with a firm nod. "Everyone, get on the ship."

They filed in quickly, Stork taking his seat behind the wheel. Katara was the last to board before Amaterasu. She gave the white wolf a look back over her shoulder.

Amaterasu was raring to board and guide her new friends on their adventure, but before she could make a move, a window of magic swirled into being before her eyes. She could see it, but Katara couldn't. Amaterasu was afforded a view of the Shinshu Field Guardian Sapling losing its leaves and slowly dying.

Issun had seen it as well. "What was THAT?" he said worriedly.

"What was what?" Katara asked.

Amaterasu let out a low whine.

"Amaterasu?" Katara said in concern.

Amaterasu approached her, the Lucky Mallet levitating at her side. The mallet pushed itself at Katara's chest, and Katara instinctively took hold of it.

It was clear what Amaterasu had to do. She couldn't leave the Guardian Sapling unattended, and she was the only one who could fix it. She would have to entrust Sora's recovery to the friends he'd known longer. Besides, if she was fast, then this time, she might actually catch the perpetrator in the act.

Without further explanation, she turned away and bolted.

"AMATERASU!" Katara yelled after her. When it was clear her words would have no effect, she stepped aboard the ship.

"Amaterasu just…ran away," she announced.

"WHAT?" Ruby replied.

"Are you serious?" Stork groaned.

"She must have had her reasons," Jasmine asserted.

"We just have to trust her," Rapunzel insisted.

"She gave me the Lucky Mallet," Katara explained. "We can still use it."

"THEN LET'S GET OFF THE GROUND!" Papyrus urged. "SORA IS WAITING FOR US!"

Katara closed the door firmly behind her, and Stork kicked the engine into gear, lifting the Gummi ship off the ground.

"I just have one question," Ruby said as the flight began. "What does 'vored' mean?"

"I was wondering that myself," Rapunzel admitted.

"Aw, man…" Kazuichi groaned. "That's…I'm not gonna explain that to you now! I'll tell you later, but you're not gonna like it!"

By the time the Gummi Ship found Ninetails Sora, he had made it to Sei'an City, where he was wreaking destruction upon whatever he could find. Fire, ice, and lightning played in a deadly dance upon the civilians and their homes and businesses. Nine Keyblades cut a path of devastation for Ninetails Sora to run through.

"There he is!" Ruby cried, pointing at him through the dashboard window.

"Any time, Katara," Stork said worriedly.

"Okay," Katara replied. "Let's see if I can figure this thing out."

She picked up the mallet by the handle, giving it a shake. "Um…make us small!" she commanded.

The mallet read her intent. In one great rush, the Gummi ship became as tiny as a dragonfly, its passengers remaining proportionate inside.

"YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS SORA JUST GOT A LOT FARTHER AWAY," Papyrus observed.

"That just means we have to get to him faster," Stork asserted, a smirk playing at his lips. "Kazuichi…don't throw up on the seats."

He gunned it before Kazuichi could protest.

Ninetails Sora became aware of the buzzing rapidly approaching him. He didn't register the Gummi ship as a mechanical device, thinking it instead to be some sort of insect. With one snap, he closed his jaws around the ship, exactly according to plan.

"Ew," Ruby squeaked as the ship momentarily rested on Ninetails Sora's tongue. "Ew, ew, ewewewewewew!"

"Huh," Stork remarked as the tongue kicked them back toward Ninetails Sora's esophagus. "It's a lot darker than I thought it would be." He flipped on the ship's front lights. "That's better."

"Of all people," Kazuichi pointed out, "I thought YOU would be the least cool with being SWALLOWED BY A GIANT FOX!"

By that time, the ship was being swallowed, tilting and jerking it in a way that made every passenger inside feel sick – including Papyrus, who didn't even have a stomach to turn.

"It's kind of pretty in a weird way," Stork answered.

The long, dark passage of esophagus opened out into Ninetails Sora's stomach. The ship freefell only a short distance before Stork kicked it into floating above the acid below.

"Well, here we are," Rapunzel remarked. "Now what?"

"Maybe we have to go further?" Katara theorized.

"There's really only one more place to go," Kazuichi reminded her, "and I really, REALLY don't want to."

"Wait a minute," Rapunzel said suddenly. "What is THAT?"

She surged up next to Stork, pointing out the dashboard window. A brilliant light was seeping in from the periphery.

"Interesting…" Stork muttered as he turned the ship's nose.

The front window was now pointed directly at a shimmering ball of light that hung suspended in Sora's stomach.

"That almost looks like a gate!" Rapunzel cried.

"Judging from the anatomical position," Stork mused, "it lines up with the edge of the stomach that would lead to the heart."

"Sora's heart," Jasmine repeated. "Amaterasu must have known we'd see it."

"FLY US INTO IT!" Ruby screamed.

"It's not like we can get any more doomed than we already are," Stork resolved as he steered the ship directly toward the light.

It filled their vision as they sailed through. When it finally subsided, they were greeted with a beautiful and terrible sight.

The ship flew through an abyss of darkness; illumination came from below, in the form of a great circular floor made of what appeared to be stained glass. The glass depicted Sora himself, leaning up against the edge of the circle, eyes closed as though he were sleeping. Grouped around his head were glass depictions of Riku, Kairi, Donald Duck, and Goofy.

The ship dove lower to the glass. There was more than enough room for it to land, so Stork brought it down gently. From there, it was clear through the front window that Sora – the human boy they all knew – was standing in the center of the glass, frightened half to death and bearing no weapon. All around him, the Tube Foxes stood on the ground, snarling. Every now and then, one would leap at him, and Sora, having no way to defend himself, would leap out of the way. He had already sustained several scratches from the foxes, his clothes torn.

"WE MUST HELP HIM!" Papyrus cried.

Rapunzel dug under her seat, bringing out a frying pan. Once she was armed, she smacked the pan's edge into her palm. "Let's go!"

Sora was terrified, unsure what was happening to him. The last thing he remembered was being shot in the heart by an arrow from an unknown archer. He had a fairly good idea of what happened to a person after death; he'd been through the Underworld before. This was nothing like that. He had appeared here, on this strange glass platform so much like the ones he remembered seeing in his dreams, alone at first. Then the Tube Foxes had descended in spheres of purple foxfire. Sora had made to summon his Keyblade only to find that he was unable to do so. Without any weapon or method of casting magic, Sora was left on the defensive, surrounded by these snarling foxes that seemed out for his blood. His focus on the foxes was so intense that he did not, at first, notice the Gummi ship's arrival.

A fox leapt at him from behind; he twisted and rolled. When he came to his feet, another fox was already most of the way to his face –

A gunshot rang out, and the fox fell, shaking off its injury. "TAAAAKE THAT!" Ruby cried, unfolding Crescent Rose from its rifle position and swinging it as a scythe toward the offending fox.

"RUBY!" Sora cried. Then, noticing the other six, he broke out in a great smile. "YOU ALL CAME!"

"We weren't just gonna leave you BEHIIIIIIND!" Ruby bellowed as Crescent Rose plunged toward the target fox. In order to avoid being seriously harmed, the fox transformed into purple foxfire once more, floating up and away. Ruby converted Crescent Rose back to rifle, firing upon the foxfire sphere.

A whirl of bones smacked another of the foxes back; Papyrus stood with his back to Sora, putting up a shield of bright blue bone. "WE CAME TO RESCUE YOU!" he asserted.

Stork kneed a fox in the chin so that its head shot upward; once it was in range, he punched its face, causing it to fall back. "We're all doomed anyway," he grunted, "so we might as well fight it!"

Jasmine dealt a roundhouse kick to a fox's midsection. "These foxes have taken over your heart," she explained. "If we can chase them away, we can free you!"

Katara's water whipped a fox again and again, driving it back. "Things kind of got complicated in the outside world," she explained. "The foxes are trying to use your body to destroy everything. But we won't let that happen! Not to the city, and DEFINITELY not to you!"

Kazuichi's blasters forced one fox to go foxfire in an attempt to escape. "No fucking way am I giving up on you!" he asserted. "Not after you didn't give up on me!"

"You're our friend," Rapunzel grunted as she beat a fox's head again and again with the flat of the frying pan. "You've done so much to help all of us. So we're returning the favor. We won't lose you!"

The foxes were kept away from Sora, held back in a ring. Some had become foxfire; some still retained canine shape. Sora knew there had to be some way he could help. The foxes must have somehow been responsible for the loss of his Keyblade; what could he do without it?

A bright light from above caught Sora's attention. A sparkling object rocketed toward the glass; instinctively, Sora dove to catch it. He landed on the glass, hands outstretched; the small, twinkling trinket landed neatly within his cupped fingers.

The glimmer subsided, revealing yellow clay. It was the charm Kairi had given Sora: the one that represented his bond with Riku. Sora could only imagine what Riku would say at a time like this. He would be scared, but he would also tease Sora, urging him that of course he was strong enough to face these foxes and win. What kind of Keybearer let demon foxes overrun his heart?

The thought of Riku's smile and laugh put a similar expression on Sora's own face. He stood, grasping the charm hard in his right hand. Riku was waiting for him back in Radiant Garden. That meant Sora had to finish this fight and come home.

With a flash, the charm transformed. The Oblivion Keyblade rested in Sora's hand. "All right!" Sora cried. "Thanks, Riku!"

He wasted no time. Every Tube Fox was chased down and beat back with Oblivion. They whimpered, dissipating into foxfire that evaporated up and out of Sora's heart, exiting his body and finding a new place to call home.

"WE DID IT!" Rapunzel cried.

"What do you know?" Stork said with a relieved smile. "We did."

Sora's form was suddenly bathed in light. "I think I'm waking up in the real world now," he announced.

He looked to his seven friends, those who had fought for him; they gave him looks of joy and relief, and he smiled right back. "See you outside!" Sora proclaimed before vanishing.

His eyes snapped open as he found himself on his hands and knees in the middle of the street in Sei'an City. A nervous crowd regarded him as though he were going to explode any minute. Before Sora could ask what was going on, he felt his gag reflex triggered. His stomach heaved; he coughed up the Gummi ship.

The tiny vehicle buzzed out of sight, then regained its true size outside the city gates. Ruby, Papyrus, Stork, Jasmine, Katara, Kazuichi, and Rapunzel came barreling into town to surround Sora, who was wobbling to his feet.

"What happened here?" Sora asked.

"You're really not gonna like the answer," Stork informed him.

"Thanks, everyone," Sora sighed. "I couldn't have changed back without all of you. And also…"

His hand rummaged in his pocket. He withdrew the yellow star-shaped charm. "Thank you, Riku," he said reverently. "I love you."

He then realized who was missing from the picture. "Hey, wait," he said in a puzzled tone. "Where's Amaterasu?"

"She went running off toward the field," Katara explained. "I don't really know what happened. It was almost like…there was something else she didn't want to leave alone."

"What if it was Mozenrath?" Rapunzel wondered out loud.

"We gotta go after her!" Sora insisted. "If she takes on Mozenrath all alone – "

"She'd be fine, right?" Kazuichi suggested. "Mozenrath is a joke, and she's a god!"

"I still don't like this," Jasmine asserted. "We need to find her and help her."

"Then let's GO!" Sora took off at a run toward the city gates.

The others wasted no time in following him. While it was apparent Sei'an City would need some attention in the near future, they hadn't the time to worry about it.

...

Maleficent stood vigil at the topmost tower of the Radiant Garden castle. It had been amusing to watch her foes struggle against the pitfalls and challenges of this Nightmare Garden. Had it not been for the intervention of pure chance, the Slumbergath surely would have been the death of most of them.

However, things had taken a turn for the worse as far as Maleficent was concerned. All three groups were growing ever closer to the castle, and were currently set on roads that would soon intersect. As it turned out, they had been able to forge their way to the castle's gate after all.

She gripped her staff tightly; the orb atop it, known to her as the Dragon's Eye, glowed. Reinforcements would soon arrive at the gates to wipe the nuisances away. It seemed Maleficent would have to settle for keeping Riku hostage rather than hoping they would summon Sora and the book. It was a fine consolation prize.

Before anything else could transpire, however, Maleficent wished for Riku's friends to see what had truly become of him. This was something she had worked out with Mal when she had first created the girl. It was time to set events in motion.

Transforming into a shimmering sphere of green light, Maleficent shot through the castle's hallways until she reached the courtyard where Riku was practicing his new magic; Mal, Lianna, and Harley watched and gave commentary.

"That's awesome!" Harley cried when Riku's dark explosion reached a new radius.

"Still not on my level," Mal teased.

"It is impressive all the same," Lianna assured Riku. "You should congratulate yourself on the hard work."

That was when Maleficent materialized in their midst. "I bring terrible tidings," she said in a voice meant to evoke desperation. "Warriors from the outside have come to lay siege upon the castle. They may have the means to break the barrier and enter. We must all retreat to safety."

"Aw, man!" Harley groaned. "Really? Now? We were just startin' to have fun!"

"They're invaders from the outside, Harley!" Mal urged. "This is a bigger problem than just our fun getting interrupted!"

Maleficent knew Harley knew the identities of the intruders. She was also aware Mal knew. The difference was that Mal was supposed to be the key player in the charade, and she was acting her part perfectly. Harley was putting on just enough of a false face to get by, but if you really knew what you were looking for, it became clear to see that Harley was aware the "intruders" were in fact friendly forces to Riku.

Maleficent fixed a long gaze upon Mal. Mal gave the slightest of nods. Maleficent then turned her eyes to Lianna. Lianna responded with yet another barely perceptible nod. They both knew.

Turning to face Riku, Maleficent urged, "Proceed to the cellar arena where Hades runs his battles. Await further instruction there. I will warn the rest of the castle's inhabitants. Once we know what we are dealing with, we may forge a plan with which to defend ourselves. For my children and their handmaiden, however, safety must be guaranteed. The three of you are not to leave the safety of the arena until you are told that the threat has been eliminated."

"But we could help!" Riku insisted. "We can protect our home!"

"Do not defy me," Maleficent said in a warning tone.

Riku stared her down. One of the things Maleficent had always admired about Riku was his strength of will. She appreciated when he was malleable, but his fighting spirit and his refusal to be truly submissive were what brought her back to him time and time again. These were traits she held in esteem in her own self. Thus, she was able to match his wordless argument in ferocity. Once it was clear one side or the other would have to back down to avoid stalemate, and it certainly wasn't going to be Maleficent, Riku relented. "Fine. We'll go to safety."

"See that you do." Maleficent became green light once more, swiftly floating through the halls.

"C'mon!" Harley urged, leading a chase toward the lower levels. "You heard her! We gotta go!"

Riku made to follow Harley, but Mal stood between them, facing Riku to stop him; Lianna stood by Mal's side.

"What are you doing?" Lianna said in fake incredulousness, as though she didn't already know what Mal was about to say.

"Riku," Mal said in a firm tone. "What if we didn't do what Mom said?"

"We'd never hear the end of it," Riku told her.

"We could fight," Mal told him. "You said it yourself. Are you really going to let her stop you?"

"What are you suggesting?" Lianna asked. "That we go out there and face the threat head-on?"

"That is EXACTLY what I'm suggesting," Mal urged. "We could stop the problem before it even gets close to home."

"I'd say yes," Riku replied, "but there's still the barrier. The only way that's coming down is if the intruders know how to break it."

"What if I told you I had a secret?" Mal responded, catching Riku off guard. "What if I said I figured out a way to break the barrier?"

"No way," Riku said, taken aback. "You couldn't."

"I do," Mal said sternly. "If you let me take the lead, I can get us all outside to fight off the threat."

"Why wouldn't you bring this up before now?" Riku asked angrily. "We all talked about breaking the barrier to see the outside world! If you knew all this time how to do it – "

"I'm your friend, Riku," Mal asserted. "I had my reasons, and I'll explain them to you later. Right now…"

She extended her hand to him. "You just need to trust me."

The physical gesture struck a chord with Riku, as though he had seen someone offer him a hand in exactly that way before. It wasn't surprising; surely someone in all his years had outstretched a hand to him. Yet this seemed so poignant. Riku was compelled to place his hand in his sister's. "Okay," he said with a nod. "I trust you."

"If you two are going to be complete idiots," Lianna sighed, "I suppose it's up to me to make sure you don't die. I'll come with you."

"We'll stop the threat," Mal asserted. "And after that…who knows?"

"First things first," Riku declared, "I'm going to make them all regret ever having threatened my friends and family."

The trio took off running, pushing past Harley, who'd stopped to listen in from a distance. "Hey!" Harley called after them. "Where d'you think you're goin', huh?"

Riku looked back over his shoulder. "We'll be fine!" he called out to her. "Just get to safety and do what Mom says!"

Harley smiled as she watched them go. Whatever way this turned out, it would be interesting.

Mal, Riku, and Lianna stopped just short of the front door to the castle. The seal that smelled of blood still glowed bright crimson over it. Riku had a great feeling of unease looking at it, as though it was a hint of something greater he should have been aware of and afraid of. "Well, this is it," he observed. "What are you gonna do?"

Mal strode forward, placing a hand on the glowing seal. Riku didn't see her cast a spell; it was almost as though her touch alone broke the enchantment – which Mal knew was exactly what had happened. The seal shattered; Riku and Lianna saw a shimmer radiate from around it, indicating that a wall that had once been there was now gone.

"There," Mal announced. "It's done." She stepped back, gesturing to the door. "You wanna do the honors?"

Riku simply nodded, striding forth to push the doors open.

Kairi's team headed up one of the three main roads to the castle gate. As they arrived, they were aware of Luna's team approaching from the adjacent road and Aladdin's group headed up the third. "We all made it!" Mickey said victoriously.

"Hopefully you did not have the trouble we had," Luna said worriedly.

"Oh, we had trouble, all right," Aladdin related. "But we made it here."

"And we're ready to make Maleficent into TOAST!" Donald declared.

"But Donald," Goofy reminded him, "we all had an agreement that we wouldn't, you know…put her to rest."

"But we can still give her a hard time as we show her the door!" Donald urged.

On the subject of the door, Kairi noted it was sealed with a bright symbol. "She's keeping us out," she observed.

"Oh, dear, this isn't good," Merlin commented. "That's blood magic."

"It even smells like blood," Aladdin realized.

"If there is a blood seal on this castle," Merlin explained, "then only the caster of the spell or someone who shares their blood, flesh, or essence can break it. None of us will be able to do a thing against it."

"So we find another way in," Nick suggested. "You're not gonna tell me we came all this way for nothing."

"That seal likely covers the whole castle," Merlin observed.

"Likely?" Moana repeated.

"I can't tell for certain from here," Merlin explained, "but it doesn't seem probable that Maleficent would seal only one entrance and not the rest."

"Well, guess we gotta come up with a new plan," Lea sighed.

"If we don't know for sure that the seal covers the castle," Jaune brought up, "we still have to check, right? She might've missed something or left something open on purpose."

"We'll make a walk around the castle to check for weak spots before we do anything else," Kairi resolved. "If we still can't get in, we'll think of another plan."

"And of course we can't use magical means of entry thanks to our own protective spells!" Merlin grumbled as he kicked a loose stone. "Dash it all!"

"Hey," Madison said as she approached Lapis. "Who are you?"

Lapis realized she hadn't expected to be addressed by anyone else. "Lapis Lazuli," she answered. "I'm fighting along with you for this world."

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Madison told her.

"It's…nice to meet you too," Lapis said tentatively, realizing she actually did mean it.

"Well," Lea sighed, "time to start looking for a new way in."

That was when the seal simply vanished, a sparkle rushing over the castle to indicate the barrier that had encased it was no more.

"What just happened?" Jaune wondered out loud.

The doors began to creak. All eyes turned to them.

"Be on your guard," Leon warned. "We don't know what's going to come out of that door. It could be Maleficent herself."

No one had expected Riku, draining himself of color as he exited the castle.

At first, when he proceeded through the door, flanked by two unknown girls, they all thought it was too good to be true. It was, however, happening.

"RIKU!" Mickey and Kairi cried as one, racing toward him.

When Riku put up his sword, pointing it in their direction, as a defense, they both halted, now aware that something was amiss. "How do you know my name?" Riku demanded.

"Whaddaya mean, Riku?" Mickey replied in concern. "We're your friends!"

"I've never seen you before in my life!" Riku declared. "Now I want answers. What are you here for?"

Mal and Lianna looked to each other behind Riku's back. This was all going exactly as planned.

High above, on all the balconies and gables of the castle, Maleficent and her allies came out in secret to watch the drama unfold on the stage below.

"We came to get you, Riku," Kairi explained. "We're going to defeat Maleficent together and take back this world!"

"Defeat Maleficent…" Riku's countenance hardened. "So that's your game. I don't know what lie you were trying about us being friends, but I'm not gonna let you hurt my mom!"

"Your WHAT?" most of the group chorused. Genie's jaw literally hit the ground.

"And I'm definitely not gonna let you take me away while you destroy my home!" Riku went on.

"Riku," Kairi said shakingly, "something's wrong. This isn't the way things are."

"You're part of the ones that caused the Desolation, aren't you?" Riku accused. "You're the reason this world lost its color! You're the reason my family lives in hiding!"

"Riku, it's not what you think!" Mickey cried.

"Don't!" Merlin warned. "It seems his very memories have been altered!"

"Stop LYING!" Riku yelled. "Now go back where you came from before I make you regret messing with my family!"

"Gosh…I'm sorry, Riku," Mickey said mournfully. "I dunno what they did to ya, but there's really only one way we can help ya now. It's too dangerous to just leave ya here with Maleficent – "

"Mickey," Kairi warned, "I don't think – "

"It's the only way," Mickey asserted. "Riku, we're gonna take you somewhere safe until we can figure this all out. It's gonna be okay."

"And what happens to my family while I'm away?" Riku growled.

"Well…we stop 'em," Mickey answered honestly. "Though they're not your family. Not the real one."

Riku's aura blazed with Darkness. "That's enough," he snarled. "I'm gonna make you regret picking this fight!"

That was when he launched.

Kairi leapt out of the way nimbly. Mickey was the first in the line of fire; Riku's sword clashed with the suddenly-summoned Keyblade, slashing hard to get at Mickey. Mickey was afraid to use any significant force against Riku, instead focusing on the defensive.

Donald couldn't simply stand by and watch Mickey put in such danger. He cast a Firaga spell at Riku; the flames whizzed toward their target until Riku noticed their bright flash, surging out of their path and rushing to strike Donald. He was blocked by Goofy's shield; Goofy had inserted himself in Riku's path just in time as Donald cowered behind him. Riku balled up a Dark Firaga in his hand, plunging it at the shield; Goofy and Donald were blown violently back.

Riku then found himself bound in chains that wrapped his arms to his body, keeping his sword pointed at the ground. "Someone needs a time-out," Genie declared while standing in front of a chalkboard that read "1 + 1 = 2." "No more recess until you learn to play nice with the other children!"

As the tip of Riku's sword scratched the ground, he growled, "Aram kaza butabus!"

The chains exploded off of his body; the nearby Aladdin, Moana, and Nick were all blown away by the eruption.

Genie gasped quite loudly. "That's one of Jafar's favorite incantations!" he realized.

With a battle cry, Riku launched into a Dark Splicer, zipping between Chip, Xander, Leon, and Ienzo.

Mal and Lianna had retreated into the doorway by that time. "This doesn't feel right," Mal admitted as she watched Riku continue to battle his true friends. Her thoughts returned to the laughs they'd shared in Cruella's studio and the way she and Riku had looked out for each other on Hades' battlefield.

"I agree," Lianna said mournfully, thinking of their conversation on the gable and their venture into the magic laboratory. "But what can we do? We exist only to serve Maleficent, and we must do so, or face her wrath."

Mal flinched, making a sound of dismay.

"We were never supposed to grow to truly like him," Lianna reminded her. "Or each other."

"But we DID," Mal reminded her.

Outside, Riku had pushed all of his friends back, having attempted to strike every single one; none could bring themselves to attack him in response, not even Leon or Cid. "I won't give up!" he asserted. "I'll keep fighting until you all back down or fall down!"

"PLEASE, Riku!" Kairi begged. "Think about it! There has to be something in your memories that doesn't make sense – "

"The only thing that doesn't make sense is WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" Riku yelled as he cast another Dark Firaga directly at Kairi.

She wasn't able to escape the blast in time. She crumpled and skidded across the ground.

"KAIRI!" Jaune rushed to kneel before her.

"I'm…okay…" Her voice was weak, but she was attempting to roll over and push herself to her knees. Jaune assisted her with hands placed on her upper arms; he could feel her trembling.

"You won't be able to take us all down!" Nick growled.

"That's funny," Riku taunted. "I don't see you winning this fight at all."

"Because we're trying NOT to fight you!" Vida argued. "We don't wanna hurt you!"

As Kairi looked toward the castle once more, her gaze was drawn past Riku, noticing Maleficent standing on a protruding balcony. She didn't have to be close to know the faery's expression. Maleficent had shown them how hopeless their current objective truly was. Riku belonged to her, heart and mind. He had turned on all of his friends, and he wasn't afraid to unleash his power on them; so many were already feeling the aftereffects of his attacks wearing down on their bodies. Yet Kairi refused to accept that Maleficent had won.

Maleficent knew the princess was staring directly at her, and she could read her thoughts like an open book. That was why she knew it was time for reinforcements to arrive.

"I guess it's come down to this," Leon said as he scratched the gunblade along the stone of the ground. "If you won't listen to us…we're going to have to get serious about fighting back. And we can't promise you won't get hurt."

He raised the gunblade. Merlin held out his wand.

That was when the sound of a giant wet slop from behind drew everyone's attention.

Riku stepped back, looking up in terror at the behemoth that had just arrived on the field. He was the furthest away from it, and so had the best chance of escaping. He just needed to will his feet to move, and he was doing so slowly, step by step, transfixed by the horror of the great abomination made of paint and thinner.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Chip cried in horror.

"IT'S THE SHADOW BLOT!" Mickey yelled.

This was more than the incomplete piece his and Kairi's team had fought in the fountain yard. This was the Shadow Blot's entire form, its massive body looming up toward the heavens with its face wrought into its cruel grin.

For many, there was no time to run. The Shadow Blot, having arrived at Maleficent's summons, simply crawled over most of the group, absorbing them up into its liquid body. Some tried to run.

Riku finally got his wits about him; he turned and bolted for the castle door, stopping once he'd crossed the threshold. He almost longed for the barrier back; it was the only thing that could protect his home from this new beast. However, the Shadow Blot was ridding him of his problem. He didn't even stop to consider it too convenient. He was simply relieved to see his enemies being swallowed up.

A great dark tentacle – or, more accurately, a Bloticle – emerged from the Shadow Blot's body, wrapping itself around Mickey and dragging him back with a scream. Lapis launched into the air, a pair of wings made entirely of water springing from the gemstone set in her back, but before she could fly away, another Bloticle roped her down in, dragging her into the Shadow Blot's mass.

Kairi was the last to attempt escape. She rushed for the castle doors, hand going for her pocket. She knew Riku wouldn't let her in. But she had to try one last effort to reach him. And if this one didn't work…

The Bloticle wrapped around her waist as she located the object she sought. Her hand clenched over the trinket, pulling it out of her pocket as she was dragged back toward the Shadow Blot.

"RIKU!" Kairi cried, launching the small item through the air, directly at him.

Then she was swallowed up by the Shadow Blot in entirety.

"Dodged a bullet there," Mal said in mock relief.

By all common sense, Riku should have retreated from Kairi's projectile. For all he knew, it was a grenade of some sort, meant to detonate once it hit him. However, instead, his instincts caused him to reach out and catch what turned out to be a falling star.

He turned the clay charm over in his hands. Something about it…

All at once, he remembered.

His true friends. His true home. The state of Radiant Garden. Maleficent, his enemy. Her allies, treacherous villains. And most importantly, cutting through everything else, the boy he loved and the memory of his smile.

"Sora," Riku said by way of announcing what had just happened to him. He then rounded on Mal and Lianna, who cowered together. "You lied to me," he said in shock. "This isn't home. None of this was ever mine. Those really were my true friends."

"It's true," Lianna admitted.

"You never were," Riku continued, still awestruck.

The Shadow Blot, satisfied with its work, was turning to lumber away.

"I'm sorry," Mal said honestly.

"Who…" Riku shook his head. "Who even are you?"

"Maleficent created us," Mal admitted. "She made us out of her dreams. That's why I was able to break her blood magic seal."

"We were meant to watch over you and give you an incentive to stay with her," Lianna continued. "Maleficent knew you valued friendship above all else."

"She wanted us to lead you here," Mal went on. "She wanted us to bring you to a battlefield where you would fight all of your real friends and show them how hopeless things were before they were defeated by something stronger. That was a worst-case scenario in case she didn't end up with the Book of Prophecies."

"The Book of Prophecies!" Riku repeated.

"You were a bargaining chip for the book," Lianna explained. "If Sora knew you were in danger – "

"She was using me to get to Sora!" Riku cried. "And you let her!"

"It's what we were made to do," Mal told him. "The problem is…we were supposed to be your fake friends. After everything we've been through, I think we're your real friends now."

"We made some comforting memories together in the short time we truly knew each other," Lianna confessed. "I now don't wish to harm you any further. If there was only something I could do…"

"Me too," Mal said guiltily.

Riku hardened his expression and his resolve. "Well, there's something I can do," he insisted. "I'm going after that creature to get my friends back."

"Then we're coming with you," Mal informed him.

Lianna nodded.

Riku thought, at first, that there was no way he could trust Mal and Lianna after knowing the lie they had let him live. However, they had just been surprisingly honest with him after the Unbreakable Connection to Sora had rejuvenated his memory; they'd made no attempt to cover it up. He felt there was honesty in their words; perhaps they truly had grown to love him. Thinking back over the memories he had of them that he knew were true – everything since the conversation on the gable – he realized he was fond of them too.

"Okay," he said, "but it's gonna be dangerous."

"We've got your back," Mal told him.

"If it's all just a nightmare," Riku growled, "then it's time to remind them: I'm what nightmares fear."

With that,, Riku took off running after the Shadow Blot. Mal and Lianna followed.

Maleficent watched with a sour expression. If Riku was making such a move, something had gone wrong with her plan. However, if he was truly so stupid as to throw himself into harm's way by attacking the Shadow Blot, then perhaps he was no longer deserving of her respect after all. She continued merely to watch, letting it all play out.

Riku had no plan. All he knew was that the Shadow Blot had swallowed his friends. He was strong; he was powerful. Perhaps if he let himself get absorbed as well, he could fare better and find a way to pull his friends out. When he was close enough, he launched himself directly at the Shadow Blot, propelling his body into its and disappearing.

"Okay, THAT wasn't the best plan," Mal commented as she ran to keep pace.

"What does he think he's doing?" Lianna panted.

The Blot's movements were much slower than theirs; they decreased their pace. "Well, we have to do something better," Mal resolved. "Maybe there's some kind of spell I can cast."

"Do you think you've got something that can give this entire tale a happy ending?" Lianna asked doubtfully.

"That makes a good rhyme," Mal muttered. She lifted her hand, pointing it at the Shadow Blot's head. "Clean up this mess and save my friend. Give this tale a better end!"

Sparks shot from her hand and collided with the Shadow Blot's head. The behemoth turned, fixing its gaze upon Mal and Lianna.

"Mal?" Lianna cautioned. "It's seen you. We need to leave…"

"Clean up this mess and save my friend!" Mal didn't let up. "Give this tale a better end!"

"MAL!" Lianna urged, grabbing Mal's arm and tugging at her.

Mal shook her head. "If you want to go," she told Lianna, "then go!"

"No," Lianna resolved, letting Mal go. "Not without you."

"CLEAN UP THIS MESS AND SAVE MY FRIEND!" Mal chanted. "GIVE THIS TALE A BETTER END!"

The inside of the Shadow Blot was hollow; Bloticles restrained all of the absorbed to the walls. Somehow there was enough light for everyone to see each other's outlines bound up against all the dark.

"I don't know how we're gonna get outta this one," Mickey sighed. "Maybe it's time we give in. Maleficent won."

"No," Kairi insisted. "That can't be possible!"

Lapis struggled against her bonds. "What even is this creature?" she grunted.

"A mixture of paint and thinner from my nightmares," Mickey informed her.

"Paint?" Lapis repeated. "Thinner? Then it's just liquid, right? It's made of water."

Water was the one thing she could always count on to bend to her will. Turning her mind, not her struggling body, toward the Bloticle, she found herself able to redirect it, freeing herself. She landed hard on what passed for the ground inside the Shadow Blot.

Cheers went up when she touched down. "You did it!" Sadira cried.

That was when Riku burst into the Shadow Blot. "I REMEMBER!" he yelled. "I remember EVERYTHING! You were right! Everything Maleficent told me was a lie! We have to stop her!"

"Riku!" Mickey yelled, relieved and pleased. "I shoulda known you'd come around!"

"But first," Riku insisted, "we have to stop this thing."

"I can free everyone," Lapis said, "if you just…give me…a minute…"

She concentrated, feeling her way through the Shadow Blot's entire body. The Bloticles melted away, dropping all down.

"Everyone out!" Riku urged. "I think I know how to take this thing down."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Mickey asked as Lapis created a hole in the Shadow Blot's side for the others to run through.

"Yeah," Riku told him, though to be honest, he wasn't sure. "Just get where it's safe."

Mickey followed his instruction. When Riku and Lapis were the last two remaining, Lapis sealed off the door she'd made.

"You're staying too?" Riku asked her.

"I can control this thing," Lapis told him. "I think I can help you."

"Then let's do it together," Riku replied. "I'm going to try and blow it up from the ground."

Lapis' watery wings unfurled. "I'll agitate it up top," she decided. "That should help you out."

She soared up to the height of the hollow Shadow Blot, picking a zenith at which to hover and spreading out her hands to either side, palms out. Her mind rippled throughout the Shadow Blot's entire being; she could feel it fighting against her.

Riku raised his sword high, point down. With a cry of "ARAM KAZA BUTABUS!", he plunged the blade into the ground.

Darkness exploded outward, shuddering the Shadow Blot's entire base.

"Do that again!" Lapis encouraged.

Riku kept his blade planted. "ARAM KAZA BUTABUS!"

The Shadow Blot wobbled, nearly toppling to either side. Lapis' thoughts were literally willing it apart, and Riku's spell was threatening to propel it a fair distance if it lost its cohesiveness.

"ONE MORE TIME!" Lapis yelled, willing everything with all her might to go up.

Riku raised the sword again. "ARAM KAZA BUTABUS!"

Outside, now surrounded by Riku's allies, Mal cried, "CLEAN UP THIS MESS AND SAVE MY FRIEND! GIVE THIS TALE A BETTER END!"

Her magic destabilized the Shadow Blot to the brink.

Riku's sword point touched the ground.

The Shadow Blot completely exploded, the paint and thinner that made it up hurtling high into the sky and spreading out. For a moment, all of Radiant Garden was blanketed in utter darkness.

Then it began to rain: spatters of paint that dropped upon the whole town.

"Look out!" Mickey cried, fearing danger. "It's…" He then realized what was happening. "It's…"

Everything the paint touched regained its color; the thicker the rain fell, the faster the hues were put into place, the grays of the stone, the multicolored wood of the houses, even the blue of the sky left behind where the paint had soared into it. Mickey watched his clothes slowly become red again from the rain of paint. So Kairi's hair was becoming red, and Jaune's hair yellow, and Donald's hat blue, and Goofy's tunic green, and Merlin's robes baby blue, and Aerith's dress pink.

"It's putting the color back," Jaune said in awe.

"How is this possible?" Ienzo wondered out loud.

As Lapis touched the ground, her skin and hair becoming all shades of blue once more while her wings dissipated, Riku gave her a look, then turned to Mal and Lianna. "I'm guessing we had some help from the outside," he theorized with a wide smile.

That was when he noticed the horror unfolding: the only blemish upon the perfect victory. Mal and Lianna, as the mixture of paint and thinner hit them, were slowly fading, the substance eating holes in their very existence.

"No," Riku said in shock, shaking his head. "No…NO!"

"I'm sorry, Riku," Mal told him.

"We were only ever constructs of Maleficent's dreams," Lianna explained, her voice growing fainter. "All of that paint is making the correct picture."

"And we're not part of it," Mal concluded. "This town isn't Maleficent's dream anymore, so we can't exist."

"No!" Riku cried. "I won't lose you! I can't…"

"Goodbye, Riku," Lianna said before disappearing entirely before his very eyes.

"We love you," Mal added before vanishing in a similar manner.

Riku's eyes watered as he stared at the place where his faux sister and their handmaiden had stood but a moment ago.

"Who were they?" Kairi asked.

"The only real friends I had in that castle," Riku answered.

"Do not despair," Luna told him. "If they truly were constructs of Maleficent's dream, they may still exist in the sleeping world. Searching for them will be a risk, but one worth taking. I will begin the quest upon my next slumber."

"Thank you," Riku said gratefully through his tears. "They deserved better than this. They need to be able to exist. Away from Maleficent."

"Maleficent!" Merlin cried. "That witch still occupies our castle!"

"That's right." Riku turned on a heel, facing the Radiant Garden castle down. "And we need to take it back!"

Maleficent had been flabbergasted when the Shadow Blot exploded. She had not expected anyone to be able to take down that nightmare. She knew if anyone had done it, it must have been Riku; they had at that point been too far away for even her eyes to clearly see. All the same, her heart made it clear: she respected him for a reason. He was the only one.

The rain trickled down. The effect it had on the town was disgusting; the colors returned, and the Nightmares dissolving.

Worse, however, was the effect it had on Maleficent herself. She realized too late that her vision was changing. As more rain downpoured onto her, her line of sight of the horizon of Radiant Garden blurred and was replaced with a new vista. When the transition was complete, she found herself in a familiar locale. Mal's spell had indeed given the tale a better end.

Maleficent was standing in the midst of Villain's Vale, and all around her, one by one, her allies were appearing – Jafar, Hades, Ursula, Grimhilde, Cruella, and the rest.

"No," she seethed. "IT CANNOT BE!"

And yet it was.

So the true residents of the Radiant Garden castle arrived to find it unoccupied; they searched it high and low, but with no trace of Maleficent to be found. They reconvened in the library to discuss their observations.

"Maybe the paint thinner…you know," Jaune suggested. "Maybe she's gone."

"I doubt it," Mickey said sternly. "That Maleficent's tricky. She'll have found some way to survive."

"I think we should count on having to deal with all of her forces again," Riku said with a nod. "Though now that I've lived with them, I know about more of them than I did before. I can give you a full list later. Maleficent made sure to give me familiar memories of everyone she worked with."

"That's valuable information," Leon told him. "We could use that."

"Now we have to focus on getting everyone from the city back to the castle if they needed to use it," Kairi resolved. She then turned to look at Lapis, who stood beside her. "You're welcome to stay too, Lapis."

Lapis shook her head. "I can't. All of this has made me realize…I have somewhere else to be. If I could survive this, then I can definitely take on the…" She realized no one would knew what she meant if she brought up the Diamonds. "Whatever's waiting for me. I just have to trust in my friends. And they need to know they can trust in me."

"Good luck," Kairi told her. "And thank you. For everything you did."

"No," Lapis replied, "thank YOU."

Not too much later, Lapis was winging her way back to the beach in order to gather up the barn and bring it across the broken barrier that had sealed in the world. She didn't know it yet, but she had a wedding to crash.

Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy found themselves on the very balcony from which Maleficent had observed the explosion of the Shadow Blot. Riku held the charm meant to link him to Sora tightly in his hand. "I almost can't believe we got through that one okay," he remarked.

"But we did," Kairi assured him.

"And that means we can get through anything so long as we work together!" Mickey asserted.

"And y'know the best part?" Goofy added. "Now we don't even need the Book of Prophecies!"

"When Sora gets back home," Donald declared, "everything's gonna be okay!"

...

Mozenrath knew from which direction Amaterasu would arrive. So he stood with his back to the tree, facing the twilit slope of the field that led to Agata Forest. His arms were folded; his mouth was turned in a smirk that was undoubtedly signature.

She didn't arrive right away. He had to hold that pose, that expression, for quite some time. As always, if the meeting wasn't executed with the optimum theatricality, it was hardly worth executing at all. That was also half the reason Mozenrath had cast a particular complex glamour over the field that was holding part of his attention and taking a good chunk of effort.

The other half was so that Amaterasu wouldn't realize how deep she was in until it was too late.

When she bolted over the field at high speed, he was the only one she saw; she believed the field to be empty save for him. Immediately she knew: this was Mozenrath. Who else would be at the scene of the crime, dressed to the nines in the regalia from at least another nation if not another world, and wearing such a smug expression? The gauntlet on his right hand sealed it. As far as Amaterasu was concerned, this man was dead meat. She knew the others, for their own personal moral reasons, didn't want him mortally wounded. She reserved the right to make that call now that she was on her own.

She sprinted toward him, faster and faster.

He remained calm, simply holding up his right hand, palm outward. Stop.

She knew she shouldn't have slowed. She did all the same. Not that it made a difference to Mozenrath; if she wanted to cut to the chase, he could work with that. It would just eliminate the fun part. When Amaterasu came to a full halt, only a few feet before Mozenrath – which was perfect; it allowed his hidden allies to get into position – he lowered his hand.

"I just want to talk," he lied.

Amaterasu struck a defensive pose, baring her teeth and growling angrily.

"I'm sure you've heard some rather unflattering things about me," Mozenrath began. "Yes, I am Mozenrath. Yes, I am the one responsible for the destruction of the Guardian Saplings. Here might be where I try to convince you that I was in the right all along and you were a fool for trusting people you just met to tell you the truth, but why bother? It would all come out in the wash anyway, and I'd rather you know me for what I am. Like I know you for what you are: a softhearted simpleton who hides her weakness behind being quick to violence."

"HEY!" Issun snapped, hopping up and down energetically as Amaterasu continued to growl. "You shut up about Ammy! She's better than you'll ever be at anything you can name! You're just scum who wants to destroy the world! Well, Ammy's gonna save it!"

Mozenrath's lip curled. "You brought a sidekick," he said derisively. "Well, that's annoying."

"I ain't just Ammy's sidekick!" Issun insisted. "I'm her Celestial Envoy!"

"All right, I'll bite," Mozenrath sighed. "What's a Celestial Envoy?"

"It means I spread the stories about her through the land!" Issun explained proudly. "And THAT means the people have faith in her! So long as they do, Ammy will never lose to anyone or anything!"

"Interesting theory," Mozenrath mused, glad he'd asked. "You think the people's faith in you will save you. You know…I'm tempted to test that out. Can you really stand up to any threat so long as your precious flock accepts you as the shepherd? Or deep down, are you as weak as the rest of us?"

"Are you challenging Full-Throttle Ammy to a FIGHT?" Issun asked; Amaterasu suddenly looked quite amused, relaxing her stance a bit. "I hate to break it to ya, but we all know how that's gonna go! I don't care how much magic you have! A skinny little twig like you is gonna snap in half!"

"I see I've caught your interest," Mozenrath said as he looked Amaterasu directly in the eye, outright ignoring Issun. "I should've known you'd want to take me on. That would be the most traditional way to settle things, wouldn't it? We battle. You wipe me off the map. You restore the Guardian Saplings, and the world rejoices. Is that how you think this is going to go? Think of this instead: we fight. I win. You become lost to your people and your pantheon forever, and if there were anyone left to tell your story, then the world would know that the mother of all lost to a pathetic, petulant little sorcerer. But this story won't be told."

"Stop acting like I ain't here!" Issun insisted.

"You're right!" Mozenrath laughed. "I DO need to stop acting like the shrill-voiced sidekick isn't here! …And make it a REALITY."

Issun was surrounded in a bright blue glow, drawn toward Mozenrath in a blink. The minuscule man was suspended before Mozenrath's face for a brief moment before he was abruptly dropped onto the ground.

Mozenrath's foot stepped swiftly.

Crunch.

Amaterasu recoiled in shock and horror.

Mozenrath twisted his toe over the already broken body of Issun, making sure the job was thoroughly done. "Don't tell me you want to avenge him!" he laughed.

Amaterasu was once again on the defensive, only a hair's breadth away from beating Mozenrath to a fine paste.

"I can tell you really want that fight now," Mozenrath declared. "And just in time. I was getting tired of holding up that glamour for that long. See, you won't actually be fighting one skinny little twig."

He snapped his fingers, and the invisbility glamour lifted from every single one of his allies; the entire WHAM ARMY formed a ring around Amaterasu.

"You'll be fighting the WHAM ARMY," Mozenrath announced. "I'd say you should ask your gods to save you, but…well. You know."

Unable to hear Mozenrath say even one more word and unperturbed by how many forces he had brought to the ring, Amaterasu lunged.

Mozenrath had arranged Wuya and Mim next to him for a reason. All together, they threw a triple wave of magic at Amaterasu that knocked her back closer to the center of the arena. This was the signal to all that the fun could begin.

Of all of them, it was Ragdoll who went for her first. He knew well that he, as a mortal, had next to nothing on a goddess. Still, he wanted to be part of the show, and the opening act was the perfect place for him. He rolled out in the shape of a wheel, springing upward to spin and kick outward.

Amaterasu nimbly sidestepped Ragdoll's blow, throwing her reflector at him. He bent over backward, his head reaching all the way to the ground, so the weapon could pass over him. He planted his hands down; as the reflector came back around toward his legs, he vaulted into a handstand.

Firefly was well aware that next time, Amaterasu would be much less likely to miss. He turned his gauntlets on her, letting loose with the full artillery as he soared up into the air, arcing gracefully over the goddess. The reflector was taken away from Ragdoll, used instead to shield against Firefly's heat. He threw in some zigs and zags, forcing Amaterasu to move the reflector rapidly to block the shots.

A sudden pain struck him across the back. The Celestial Brush had been maneuvered up behind him and delivered a swordlike slash. Firefly plummeted toward the ground, caught off guard by the sudden attack.

"KA-POW!"

Glass broke against his armor, and he found himself levitating, avoiding quite a nasty collision with the ground. Zevon had been the one to launch the handy potion, and he was now reaching for another, locked in a face-off with Amaterasu.

Ragdoll crept up behind Amaterasu; she sensed him at the last moment, spinning and leaping, jaws snapping. Firefly quickly zoomed toward them, swiping Ragdoll up into one arm while using the other to bombard Amaterasu with heat rays.

That was when Zevon launched his second potion with a "BA-BAM!"

The flask hit Amaterasu in the head, dousing her with a violently purple liquid. She shook it off, leaping toward Firefly only to find herself sailing backward across the ground. Zevon had whipped up another brew of his run-backward potion, and Amaterasu was thinking to herself how undignified it was to have been affected by something with such a ridiculous effect.

All the same, she made the most of it, dodging Firefly's blasts from side to side and pushing off backward in order to sail forward at him. She hurtled through the air, reflector spinning.

A spinning blur of red knocked her off course. Amaterasu hit the ground, quickly scrambling to her feet as she sought the source of her redirection. Scarlet Overkill stared her down, looking smug as ever.

"Bring it on," Scarlet urged.

By then, Zevon's potion had worn off; its effects were not so lasting on the divine as they were on the mortal. Amaterasu, still bounding side to side to avoid Firefly's onslaught, rushed at Scarlet, beads gunning forth from their chain. Scarlet was only able to dodge a few of them before they caught her in the stomach, sending her tumbling head over heels.

"NOT MY WIFE, YOU DON'T!" Herb cocked the lava gun and let its contents spray toward Amaterasu.

The Celestial Brush caught up the flow of lava in a rush, redirecting it right at Firefly. That got him to stop shooting as he steered himself and Ragdoll away from burning-hot death.

When Firefly's ammunition ceased, Rémington's began. "GO!" he yelled at Grany, who rushed Amaterasu with sword swinging.

The great Shushu blade clashed again and again with the reflector disc; Rémington noticed the Celestial Brush's appearance out of the corner of his eye. He ducked and rolled just before it could slash him. The brush went for Rémington again and again; he scrambled and crawled. At last it caught up with him, and he was wracked with pain enough to let out a cry.

Grany's sword and Amaterasu's disc were locked; the reflector spun rapidly, grinding sparks off the Shushu blade. "I don't know what you just did," Grany growled, "but no one hurts MY BROTHER and gets away with it!"

And no one kills my Celestial Envoy and gets away with it, Amaterasu thought as she drew a new symbol in the air: the one that summoned fire.

Grany suddenly found his cape aflame; he left the battle to run rather comically around the field while screaming. This was put to a stop at the snap of a young witch's fingers; the flames were doused as a pair of chains emerged from the ground to seize Amaterasu and hold her in place.

"I had a lot of time to practice that spell," Irmaplotz explained as she stared Amaterasu down. "Not to mention these."

She hurled bolts of green energy directly toward Amaterasu; the reflector staved them off one by one. While Amaterasu was busy with this, however, Gothel took a knife into hand.

The small blade sailed through the air and hit its mark; Amaterasu let out a shrill whine as it sank into her shoulder. She reached back, holding the reflector out in front of her to block Irmaplotz's onslaught while her teeth clenched around the hilt of the knife. Amaterasu cast it to the ground, then began to gnaw at the first of her chains. No blood spilled from where the knife had sank.

Amaterasu's sharp teeth broke through the first of the chains. As she turned to work on the other, she was aware of a sudden change in the air.

The reflector shifted. Irmaplotz's magic now hit Amaterasu full-on; it burned painfully, but it was nothing serious, so she simply stood and let it strike. The reflector had turned just in time to block Neo's thin sword.

Neo gave Amaterasu a truly malicious smile before spinning to try from another angle. Now tethered by only one chain, Amaterasu had a radius around which to move. She darted to match Neo's movements, the reflector blocking Neo's sword from every direction it came from. The Celestial Brush swept behind Neo, dealing her a slash.

Neo felt the pain from it. She simply chose to ignore it, flinching only momentarily before continuing her fight.

The brush was repurposed; it drew a lightning bolt from the sky, and that electricity struck Irmaplotz, pumping her full of volts. The evil princess' hair stuck out at all angles, and she coughed a plume of smoke. "That hurt," she grumbled.

Now Amaterasu thought to try fire against Neo, summoning it up. A bitter cold rush extinguished the flames as soon as they appeared. Amaterasu's attention was diverted for a moment; Vexen was making his play, holding his shield before him as he thrust magic into the ground. Icy spikes shot upward from the grass, making a beeline toward Amaterasu.

First, Amaterasu used the brush to touch one of the incoming spikes and direct its cold toward Neo; the short swordfighter became completely encased in ice. Then Amaterasu used the reflector to break down the ice as it reached her, stopping the deadly spikes from harming her. She needed rid of her chain, and she needed it now. At the risk of becoming a one-trick pony, she called up more fire, this time surrounding Vexen with it.

The memory of being burned alive played anew in Vexen's mind as the flames closed in. "No," he said worriedly. "No, no, no!"

Amaterasu's jaws seized the remaining chain, and she pulled hard.

Ravess let three arrows fly.

Once her chain broke, Amaterasu flipped up high into the sky; the arrows landed on empty grass and exploded.

Xayide sent a cold wind to blow away Vexen's prison of fire, setting Ravess' mind at ease. She then summoned a host of spears to surround Amaterasu, all pointed at the goddess.

Amaterasu stared her down, daring her to even try.

Xayide let the spears drop.

Amaterasu knocked them away with her reflector, crushed their shafts in her teeth, leapt this way and that to avoid them –

And landed in the trajectory of Ravess' arrows, taking one to the shoulder. The crystal shone brightly before erupting.

Amaterasu was knocked back directly into the cross-section of Irmaplotz and Firefly's shots, where she was painfully burned. At this time, Herb had gotten around to Neo's iceberg, dealing out just enough lava to melt the encasement. Irmaplotz and Firefly let up so that Grany, Neo, and now a mace-wielding Snipe could rush Amaterasu at the same time.

She leapt high over their heads, leaving behind slashes with the Celestial Brush in her wake; Snipe and Grany faltered, but Neo held her ground once more despite the hurt. When Amaterasu landed, she found herself surrounded by a new threat: what seemed to be an endless onslaught of watery forms summoned from Demyx's reservoir of magic.

Demyx played his most fast-paced melody; for every form Amaterasu cut down, three more arrived in its place. Demyx then got tired of using that trick, and instead, geysers of water shot up beneath Amaterasu, rocketing her into the sky. Her beads shot down toward Demyx, causing him to stumble upon their impact; the water was redirected to wash over Xayide in a tidal wave and bowl her head over heels.

Amaterasu landed gracefully before Hans. He drew his sword, holding it out as though to taunt her…then rolled his eyes and sheathed it. "No," he announced. "We all know how this ends. My sword breaks. Everyone laughs. So I'm just going to do this."

He ran toward her and aimed a kick at her chest. Under any other circumstance, that would not have worked. However, that was when Vexen called up four icebergs to freeze Amaterasu's paws to the ground, Xayide surrounded the reflector in a violet bubble that momentarily prevented it from going anywhere, and Snipe charged from behind with his mace. The Celestial Brush was occupied slashing Snipe back; Hans' foot hit home, and it actually hurt.

A lightning bolt was called down from above to strike Hans. It was intercepted by a shield of blue that hovered over the prince's head.

"If you're going to start targeting my boyfriend," Mozenrath announced, "it's my turn."

He let sparklers of blue magic fly; Amaterasu summoned up enough fire to melt the ice holding her down, but it wasn't in time to stop the blasts from hitting her. That was fine. She could take it.

However, when Wuya added a liberal dose of green energy to accompany it, Amaterasu found herself less comfortable. Her reflector broke through Xayide's sphere. She steeled herself to bear the pain, charging directly through the onslaught toward Mozenrath and Wuya. Particularly Mozenrath; he was the one who had killed Issun, and he needed to pay for his crimes.

A bright maroon wolf landed in Amaterasu's path; Mim licked her chops in anticipation of the fight. Mozenrath and Wuya let up on their magical assault, splitting up and running to opposite sides of the field so Mim wouldn't get caught in the fire. Mim summoned herself up a reflector of her own, and she and Amaterasu circled each other, growling, before leaping at the same time. The two reflectors crashed as paws struck and teeth chomped; Mim's weapon was a paltry construction up next to Amaterasu's divine instrument, and shattered almost immediately. However, Amaterasu had already taken many hits in this fight, and Mim's physical attacks were not helping matters.

A skull sailed overhead. Mim rushed out of the way in time. Amaterasu failed to see the significance until the explosive did what explosives do best. She called up a wind to put out the flames that had washed over her fur when the skull detonated. Aghoul rushed her, scythe swinging.

The reflector crashed against the scythe again and again; Amaterasu sensed danger, shooting her beads to the right. Snatcher spun nimbly out of their path before pointing the barrel of his gun and shooting.

Amaterasu spun, using the brush to redirect the lightning toward Aghoul; this did the job of pushing him back several feet. However, it left her open to a shot from Roman; once again, an explosion rocked the ground beneath her feet and sent her stumbling. Amaterasu charged Roman full tilt only to find herself struck once more by Mozenrath's blue and Wuya's green, holding her at the center of crossing magic. Seeing the example of their superiors, Xayide and Irmaplotz contributed from perpendicular directions; Amaterasu was blasted from four directions at once.

Now Amaterasu was well and truly shaken. She had to take these magic wielders out, and she knew which one she wanted to start with. Pushing through the burn, she charged toward Mozenrath.

Mozenrath hadn't expected her to simply cut through his attack so easily – though she was making it look more effortless than it truly was. As she neared, Mozenrath felt a sense of unease; should he run? Surely she couldn't get all the way to him. But here she was.

And there was the Huntsman, throwing himself between Mozenrath and Amaterasu. Mozenrath's mind barely registered in time to let up on his fire so that the Huntsman could stand before him. The huntstaff spun, knocking Amaterasu in the chest before unloading a beam of green directly into her face. Magic was one thing, but the energy Amaterasu sensed coming from this weapon was distinctly counter-magical, and it shook her core. She snapped herself out of it, seizing the weapon's shaft in her jaws.

The Huntsman withdrew a net, throwing it so it wrapped around Amaterasu. The goddess was bound, and as she took the time to chew through her restraints, Firefly resumed shooting, Rémington opened fire, and Scarlet and Ragdoll flew at her from either side with outstretched feet.

From there, it all became more of a blur of chaos. No matter where Amaterasu moved, there was a punch or a kick being thrown, a weapon being brought down. She blocked what she could with her reflector, but, overwhelmed by so many opponents, she let blades draw blood from her hide, arrows pierce her, a mace fall down on her spine. Never was there a time that magic was not being fired upon her in a direct beam, and those who weren't using their magical powers to simply create energy were using it to throw more weapons onto the field. Fire burned. Ice chilled. Lightning struck. Amaterasu tried to retaliate to each of these attacks with a counter of her own, but it was all becoming so much, just a parade of flashing lights before her eyes.

Eventually, her feet gave way, and she was simply passed from one person to another to torment. She was cut, she was stomped on, she was batted around, she was fried with a strong spell. Her reflector spun uselessly over the field, meeting resistance from shields, from barriers, from blades. Then the divine weapon fell still.

At last, Amaterasu, too, was still, lying upon the ground. She willed herself again and again: get up. Move. Do something. Anything. Move.

Yet her entire body was wracked with agony, and she could not move. She was aware that blood was now flowing freely from her. How much longer could she last? No. It wasn't time to give up. She couldn't.

And yet she was too broken to stand.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Mozenrath yelled, and at his call, everyone backed off. Amaterasu was not so naïve as to think Mozenrath was giving her a reprieve. Her blurred vision made out the sorcerer's outline as he stood over her, looking down upon her smugly.

"I wish you could see yourself right now," he taunted. "Look where all that faith from your people has gotten you. Maybe you got cocky facing down monsters in the past, but the bigger they come, the harder they fall. They were just monsters. Only ONE giant spider. Eight heads, maybe, but they belonged to ONE dragon. The one thing you never expected was to go up against a band of people who had faith not in your victory, but in their victory against you. A band of people who had faith, to be clear, in me. It helped their case, of course, that they were some of the most powerful sorcerers and warriors in all the worlds. Any one of us alone might have had trouble. But you were doomed from the moment we had you surrounded."

Xerxes floated over Mozenrath's shoulder, grinning wickedly. "Goddess dead!" he jeered. "Goddess dead!"

"She's not quite dead," Mozenrath informed his familiar without taking his eyes off Amaterasu. "After all, I wanted her to hear me gloat. What's the fun in a victory like this without some good old-fashioned gloating! But I suppose it is time. All good things must end, after all. Even you, Amaterasu. I just want you to know before you go that you did pose a very entertaining challenge. Oh, and don't worry about the Celestial Brush. It'll be in better hands now."

The gauntlet was ablaze with blue. Mozenrath held the hand up high, ready to make the final strike. He could feel the eyes of his allies – his friends – fixed raptly upon that hand. This was the moment they had all waited for.

Yet a thought struck Mozenrath, and he lowered his hand slowly, the magic surrounding it fizzling out. Confusion coursed through the viewing audience for but a moment.

Then Mozenrath turned to face the Huntsman. "You know," he remarked, "if I remember correctly, I owe you at least one dragon. I realize this isn't exactly a dragon, but I figure a goddess should make up for some ground. Would you like to do the honors?"

The Huntsman was, frankly, stunned he'd been asked. He had assumed that for anyone else but Mozenrath to lay down the final strike upon Amaterasu would be an insult to Mozenrath's pride. He knew, however, that Mozenrath was being completely serious.

"If you don't," Mozenrath stated, "then I will."

"If you are extending me the invitation," the Huntsman replied, stepping forth, "then I shall gladly accept. To slay the sun goddess of this world would be the highest honor."

"Then make the most of it," Mozenrath said sincerely as he stepped back to let the Huntsman take his place.

The Huntsman stood over Amaterasu, regarding her broken body. To some, it would truly seem tragic to see the once great goddess reduced to such an abject state. To the Huntsman, it was the mark of the greatest victory he had ever achieved. He raised the huntstaff, blade down, and maneuvered it over Amaterasu's heart.

It was then that Amaterasu truly realized there was no escape.

The staff was driven down hard.

A piercing howl echoed over Shinshu Field, reaching across the world to be heard from Kamiki Village to Sei'an City and the snowy plains of the north.

Then the sun disappeared completely from the sky, leaving the world blanketed in darkness. It had not simply finished setting; it had outright vanished, and so few stars ventured to take its place in the black of the night.

Mozenrath waved his hand, and several spheres of blue light hovered over the WHAM ARMY's sector of the field, illuminating the scene of the fight with a soft sapphire cast. All eyes were drawn particularly to where the body of Amaterasu lay impaled upon the huntstaff.

A raucous cheer immediately went up.

Firefly scooped up Ragdoll into an embrace and rocketed into the air, spinning him round and round as they laughed. Herb performed a simpler version of the gesture on the ground, picking Scarlet up by the waist and turning a 360 before setting her down again and giving her a passionate kiss. Irmaplotz and Zevon high-fived. Rémington and Grany gave several whoops of joy. Gothel stood back and nodded toward the gruesome scene with a smile. Neo applauded, giving little hops of excitement. Vexen and Ravess exchanged smug, knowing looks. Snipe pumped his fists in the air while giving a wordless roar. Demyx leaned over, using his sitar to prop himself up, and sighed with relief. Xayide's applause was calmer and more polite.

Mim spun round and round in glee. Aghoul swung his fist through the air, proclaiming, "That showed her! Dead as a doornail!" Roman fired several shots straight up into the air. Snatcher spouted such congratulatory statements as "Good show! Quite well done! Knew we could pull it off!". Yzma laughed to herself, sounding more wicked with each cackle. Wuya conjured several party favors to make noise in the air around her as she observed with a grin. Xerxes chanted over and over, "GODDESS DEAD! GODDESS DEAD!"

The Huntsman merely wrenched his weapon free from the ground, looking to Mozenrath, whose face had positively lit up with schadenfreude. Knowing there was much to say to Mozenrath – perhaps "Thank you," or "You led us to this victory" – the Huntsman attempted to voice some of it.

He was interrupted when Hans dashed toward Mozenrath out of practically nowhere, seizing Mozenrath's waist with one hand and the back of his head with another while planting a spontaneous and deep kiss on Mozenrath's lips.

The Huntsman simply turned his head away, feeling as though a wrench had turned something inside of him.

Mozenrath was caught completely off guard by the forceful kiss; he wondered, briefly, if it was disgraceful for the leader of the entire group to look so much at the mercy of his partner. After the surprise wore off, he realized it felt so good, he didn't care. His own hands reached up around Hans, tightening. It was the cherry on top of an already perfect day.

It was Hans, not Mozenrath, who pulled away from the kiss first. "You should probably get what you came for," he said, sounding just a little flustered.

Mozenrath straightened up, trying to regain his elegance. "I should," he agreed.

The Celestial Brush had spilled to the side of Amaterasu's body; Mozenrath was able to quickly levitate it up into his grasp. He turned it in his hands, regarding it with curiosity. It looked like such an ordinary brush for painting or calligraphy. Yet he could tell by the power that pulsed through it that this item contained within it the capability to sustain life and turn the elemental cycles of an entire world. All the better, then, that he should remove it from the world it was supposed to turn the elemental cycles of.

Holding the brush aloft, Mozenrath declared, "Victory is ours! Now let's go celebrate it."

He turned a 180, slashing down through the air with the brush; as he summoned the proper energy, it tore a hole in space that forged into a Corridor of Darkness. "Everyone through," he commanded.

He wanted to be the last to leave. This was perhaps the most stunning victory he had ever achieved in his pursuits of the elements for the spell of conquest, and he wanted to bask in the place where he had won it for just a while longer. So he waited while one by one, the underlings filed through, all but Hans. The founders were next to go, and Hans finally gave up waiting for Mozenrath, simply planting a kiss on his cheek as he walked by and saying "I'll see you at home."

Only Mozenrath and the Huntsman remained on the field. The Huntsman knelt, scooping up Amaterasu's corpse to bear on his shoulder. "I believe I have a use for this," he remarked.

When his eyes met Mozenrath's, they communicated in silence at first, not needing to trade a word. Then the Huntsman said, "Your debt, if you ever truly owed it to me, has been more than repaid."

"Am I to understand you owe me now?" Mozenrath teased. "Just don't storm off again and we'll call it all even."

He should have known, of course. No victory ever came without the arrival of Sora and his cohorts. This was no exception.

When the sky had suddenly gone dark, that was the indication to Sora, Ruby, Stork, Papyrus, Jasmine, Katara, Kazuichi, and Rapunzel that something had gone terribly wrong. Together, they bolted down the slope of the field from Agata Forest, making way directly for the Guardian Sapling of Shinshu Field, their way lit by a Fire spell that Sora kept burning on the tip of the Keyblade.

They all saw him at once – the Huntsman as well, but he wasn't who they focused on. "MOZENRATH!" Jasmine yelled angrily, still well across the field from him.

"WHERE'S AMATERASU?" Sora screamed. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

Mozenrath gave the Huntsman a smirk. "I think I'm going to let you do the honors here too."

The Huntsman nodded, and though Mozenrath couldn't see it, he was legitimately smiling. He turned to face the eight intruders, taking Amaterasu's body into his hands and hoisting her up high, letting her blood drip in the blue light. "HERE IS YOUR GODDESS!" he bellowed.

The eight stopped in their tracks, paralyzed by the sight before them. As much as they wanted to disbelieve it, in their hearts, they all knew that Amaterasu had been slain. That was the only explanation for why the sun had disappeared. "No," Ruby said as tears welled up in her eyes. "No! NO!"

Rapunzel's hair began to twitch. Before she knew what was happening, her braid had come undone, hair unfurling out in tendrils. "Uh, everyone?" Rapunzel called out. "I think…something's going to happen…"

Ruby bent over, face in her hands as the tears poured. Amaterasu had shown her and Katara how to respect each other. She had taught Kazuichi the error of his womanizing ways. She had tricked Sora and Papyrus into airing their dirty laundry out with Stork. She had given them all the means to restore Sora to his humanity when it seemed all hope was lost. And now it was Amaterasu who was lost. Ruby could feel the grief and despair building up inside of her, becoming a palpable force.

Rapunzel's hair reacted to Ruby's aura, reaching out and grasping Sora, Papyrus, Stork, Jasmine, Katara, and Kazuichi around the waists and pulling them in close to Rapunzel.

"What the HELL?" Kazuichi cried.

"What's happening?" Katara asked.

"My hair reacts to disturbances," Rapunzel hurriedly explained. "Something must be about to happen that we need to be protected from."

"I do not like this," Stork said flatly.

"What is that one's hair doing?" Mozenrath wondered out loud.

"I am not certain," the Huntsman replied. "Perhaps we had best make our way – "

"No," Mozenrath told him. "I want to see their hearts break down to the last shard. We leave at the last possible moment."

Rapunzel's hair finished forging a sphere around the seven it had chosen: all but Ruby.

Ruby's head jerked up suddenly, and she screamed to the heavens, "AMATERAAAAAASUUUUUUU!". From her eyes, twin beams of light poured forth, expanding into a wave that washed over the entirety of Shinshu Field.

"Forget what I said," Mozenrath yelped as he saw the incoming attack. "GO NOW!"

He and the Huntsman hurtled into the Corridor, and it sealed just before the silver light could reach them; it passed through empty air.

Within the Darkness' roads, Mozenrath looked to the Huntsman with visible panic, realizing he had just dodged a bullet.

"What manner of magic was THAT?" the Huntsman growled, readjusting Amaterasu's body over his shoulder.

"I don't know," Mozenrath seethed, "but it just gave me a new reason to hate those brats." He clutched the Celestial Brush tighter, and the pair made their way to the other side of the Corridor, where home awaited.

The silver glow enveloped the entire field, including the golden ball that held Ruby's seven companions in safety. It blazed ever brighter, even becoming visible through Rapunzel's strands, though the hair protected those within from all adverse effects. Then, as suddenly as it had glowed, the light subsided, leaving behind the night sky. All of Mozenrath's magical lights had been extinguished. The hair began to gently unfurl from the sphere like petals from a flower.

Ruby dropped to her knees, sobbing profusely. Sora, Papyrus, Stork, Kazuichi, Katara, Rapunzel, and Jasmine surrounded her, looking upon her with sympathy. As much as the question of what Ruby had just done burned in their minds, more pressingly was the fact that what she was displaying was the exact emotion burned in all of their hearts.

It was perhaps most accurately reflected by the state of the sky: within, the sun had gone out.

...

A/N: Character death.